Shrouded Memory
by Window to the Soul
Summary: She fell from above into the slums of Midgar. Remembering nothing, not even her own name or how she came to be there, her life is soon entwined with those who struggle to save the Planet. [OC]
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Final Fantasy VII. I only reserve that right over my original characters.**

"….kid…hey…hey kid…wake up, will ya…"

"Mmmm…wha--…"

"Finally, kid! No! No, don't ya be lighting out again!"

"Wha…what…happened?"

"I was hopin' you'd be tellin' me that, kid."

"My head…it hurts really bad…will you all stop moving?"

"There's only me, kid."

"Then why am I seeing three…no…four of you?"

"Ya must've took a hard smack to da head when ya fell."

"Fell?"

"Damn kid! I was just mindin' meh own business when ya came fallin' from above."

"Above?"

"That's right, girlie."

"Why?"

"Why ya askin' me?"

"I don't know…do I know you?"

"No. Name's Barret. What's yours?"

"I…I don't know…"

"Okay, okay! Don't be panicking! I'll take ya with me ta Tifa's 7th Heaven Bar."

"Heaven? Am I dead?"

"Naw, ya just in the city of Midgar…it's deh city that's dead, well, dyin' at least."

"My head hurts…really bad…I need to close my eyes, the lights are hurting me."

"No! No, you stay up! Kid? Kid!" Barret took her roughly by the shoulders and shook her hard, but she was already unconscious. Lifting her up gently, he made his way through the streets of the slum in Sector 7.

It was a sorry sight, with its dilapidated buildings, muddy streets, strays, gangs, and desolate people. Yet, despite this, life went on. It had to, there was nothing that could be done…at the moment. The people at the moment just lived from day to day. He soon came upon a large building, with a sign perched on top that read, "Tifa's 7th Heaven". He walked up the steps, which was populated by drunks who didn't want to go home yet.

"Ya get yer asses movin', ya hear?" He glanced menacingly at them. They got up and started to walk away, muttering under their breath on what jerk Barret was and who did he think he was.

"Hey Barret!" Yelled one of the not-so-drunken drunks, "Who's the girl? Isn't she a bit young for you?"

"None of yer damn business, Malcom." He snarled, "Keep walkin'! Heard Ellie's teed off at ya."

"Up yours, Barret." He made a rude gesture and stalked away.

Making sure the girl was secure; he pushed the swing-away doors with his shoulder and stepped into the bar. It was a cozy little place, with its circular tables, chairs, one arcade pinball game, and a bar in the back, complete with its choices of liquors behind the counter. Also behind the counter was a young, brunette woman cleaning a glass; she wore a white, sleeveless t-shirt that seemed a few sizes too small because of her bust-line, and suspenders that were hitching up a short skirt. Her hair reached to her ankles, the ends being tied together by a red string.

"Hey Barret, what took you…sweet Lord, what the hell happened to her?" Tifa put the glass down on the counter and came over to face Barret and his charge.

"I have no idea, Tifa." Barret sighed, "All I was doin' was coming back from meh scoutin' mission, and the next thing I know…I see missy here falling from above, screaming her head off, and crashing into the ground. Good thing there was some garbage there ta soften her fall or else she'd've been a pancake."

"Poor thing." Tifa looked her over to see the extent of her injuries, "Well, she's going to have a nasty bump on her head for awhile. Other than that, just a few bruises and she'll probably be sore when she wakes up. Go put her up in my room; I'll fix her up there."

Barret complied and no sooner had he left the room was he attacked by another girl, though much younger and with reddish-brown hair.

"Daddy!"

"Marlene!" He said, picking her up and giving her a loving, whiskery kiss as she screamed in delight.

"Now, now you two." Tifa had come up with medical supplies, "We have a patient here and you, little missy, should be in bed. It's way past your bedtime."

"But I needed to wait up for Daddy, Tifa!" Marlene gave her best puppy-dog eye expression.

"Then Daddy can put you back to sleep. Go on!" She shooed them towards Marlene's room as she went into her own room to check in on their unknown visitor.

**Prologue finished! Bear with me as I try to make this worthwhile reading. It might start off slow, but I promise that it will pick up within the next few chapters. Now that you've read it, review it!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Yet again, don't own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters. I do, however, reserve that right over my original characters.**

* * *

The sound of light breathing could be heard if one were to listen by the door. The unknown girl still slept in same position Barret had put her, only having moved the night before when Tifa had bandaged up her injured head. A crash from downstairs, followed by angry voices yelling, woke the girl up. She shot up, her heart beating wildly and eyes showing her fear, clutching the comforter to her chest. 

Where was she? How'd she get here? Who was she? The only thing she could remember was a sickening crack accompanied by a blinding pain that made her see white, then a blissful black. Later, that one man had found her, asked her those questions, then she remembered nothing. Her head was beginning to pound, but she refused to lie back down and instead looked around the room. It was simply furnished, with the bed she laid in, a dresser with some pictures on it, a long mirror, and a chair that had clothes draping over them.

Another crash alerted her towards the door, whereas she shakily got to her feet; with the covers not covering her anymore, she saw that she was wearing a very big t-shirt that came to her knees. She slowly went to the door and then hesitated before opening it. The noises became even louder as she poked her head out the door and she spotted the light flickering on her left side, showing there was another room below. Creeping towards it, she grasped the banister and walked down a few stairs to peer down. She saw a woman trying to break up a fight between two men, a few broken chairs laid to the side, while the rest of the bar watched. A little girl was behind the counter, watching the outcome with mild concern; apparently, this was a normal occurrence.

"Get out of my bar! Take it outside!" The woman said with her face flushed with rage.

"This little $#$ is going to get it!"

"You can't even touch me!"

"Bring it, punk!"

It looked like the fight was going to continue when the doors swung open and a big man came in the bar. The girl recognized him as the one who had most likely taken her here. In one swoop, he had grabbed both of the men; one, by the scruff of his neck, with his hand and the other, in a headlock, with, the girl realized, an arm with a gun grafted where a hand should be.

"Tifa, these guys given you a problem?" He asked while the two struggled in vain to get away.

"Yeah, Barret. Make 'em leave."

"Gladly." He smiled, turning around and throwing them out of the bar. Thuds and shouts of profanity made him laugh.

An undertone of talking began again, the two named Barret and Tifa now going behind the counter. Suddenly, as if they knew she was there, both looked up the staircase to where she sat. She swallowed nervously, one of her hands still gripping the banister, her knuckles turning white, while the other was wrapped around her knees to keep the shirt from riding up. Tifa looked at Barret and said something to him of which he nodded to. He continued to go behind the bar while Tifa started coming up the stairs. The girl sat frozen, unable to move or speak, only able to turn her head to look at Tifa who held out a hand.

"Come on. Let's go back to my room."

The girl slowly nodded and took the offered hand, following Tifa back to the same room she had been in moments before.

"All right, sit on the bed and let me check that bump on your head…mmm…well the swelling's gone done, you just have a nasty looking bruise. You heal fairly quickly."

"Uh…"

"Yes?" Tifa looked at the girl.

"Your name is…Tifa, right? Could you tell me, um, where I am?"

"You're in my bar, 'Tifa's 7th Heaven'." Tifa smiled, "It's located in the 7th Sector slums."

"Oh." The girl had no idea where that was, but it seemed to be common knowledge to everyone else.

"So, what's your name?" Tifa asked. The girl looked startled at the question, but managed to choke out,

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" This seemed incredulous, "Not even an inkling? Do you know where you're from?"

"No."

"Who your family is?"

"No."

"Anything?"

"No. I-I'm sorry, I don't remember anything!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry." The girl seemed on the verge of crying, "You just have a really bad case of amnesia, that's all. It'll come back to you soon."

"Amnesia? Oh…I suppose so." The girl quickly wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Tifa waited patiently for her to regain her composure.

_Eighteen-years-old…_

"Actually, I think I do remember something…at least my age I think…" The girl said slowly, looking at Tifa who gave a small smile of encouragement, "I think…I'm eighteen."

"Well, that's a start." Tifa nodded approvingly, "Until then, why don't you put on those clothes on that chair? Your old clothes were a wreck. I think these should fit you."

"Really?" The girl was so surprised to be shown such generosity from someone she hardly knew, "Well…T-thank you."

"No problem." Tifa smiled, "When you're done, come downstairs…oh, don't worry, what happened downstairs doesn't happen all the time, but just enough that we hardly care anymore."

The girl's shocked stare gradually was replaced with a trusting, though tentative smile. When Tifa left the room to give her privacy, she slowly took off the big t-shirt, her arms aching horribly from the upward motion. Putting on the fresh undergarments, she then put on some comfortable beige cargo shorts, that allowed her maximum movement, and a black sleeveless shirt that had silver threading on the v-neck, the openings for her arm, and the hem. What she really like about the shirt, though, were the beautifully embroidered wings around where her shoulder blades were. To finish off the look, she put on finger-less black gloves and sturdy leather boots that ended at her ankles. Looking in the mirror, she looked back at the person that greeted her.

She was tall and lanky, but muscles were apparent in her otherwise skinny arms and legs. She looked a little fragile, but she didn't feel fragile in the slightest, despite the fact that she couldn't remember anything about herself. She gave a little frown at her hair, though a nice raven-black with a bluish hue, it screamed bed-head. Taking a comb, she ran it through the middle-back length mess, her hair layered, making the front a little shorter so that it lay gently in front of her shoulders and framed her face. Taking closer look at her face, she saw that freckles were lightly splashed on the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. Apparently, she liked the outdoors since the rest of her skin was lightly tanned. She wasn't model material, being a little plain looking, but her eyes were what would make someone take a second look; a fiery emerald green.

Flipping a few strands from her face, she went out the bedroom and walked carefully down the stairs. The sight that greeted her made her feel nostalgic, like she had seen this room from a three person perspective. The wooden floor was smooth from the many feet that had treaded upon it, a few dents and scratches along with some stains that had never fully come out, the same care and worn shown on the circular tables and chairs that laid sprawled across the room. Light shone into the room from two large windows in the front and one on each side. The back of the room had a bar built into it as well as shelves where the various colored bottled liquors twinkled invitingly for someone to drink them. There was also an old pinball machine, but it didn't seem to be in working order. In the back of her mind, she wondered why they would keep it when it seemed to serve no purpose.

Her steps sounded a little loud in the now deserted bar. Walking over towards the bar, she stroked the smooth wood, marveling at the soft sheen it emitted and craftsmanship that must've gone into it. She peered over the side of the bar and jolted back, too startled to scream as she had just peered into large, liquid-brown eyes that seemed just as shocked as she was.

"Uh…hi." She said tentatively, "What's your name?"

The little girl had hoisted herself up from her crouching position and stared at her for a few moments before whispering, "Marlene."

"Marlene? That's a really nice name." She said, not wanting to have the ever-close silence to envelope her again, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I work here." Marlene said; a note of pride in her voice as it gained strength, "I help Tifa out since we're so short-handed. I also live here with my Daddy, he's the best.

"Oh!" Marlene looked at her with more recognition, "You're that lady that my Daddy brought in last night. Did you get into a fight with someone? You looked a wreck."

"I don't think so…" She looked puzzled at this new theory. Had someone took a swing at her from behind and landed a blow on her head?

"Yeah, Tifa said that you don't remember anything, not even your own name." Marlene gave a little giggle that sent her temper flaring; so Marlene thought it was funny, huh?

_No._ She cautioned herself, S_he's young, she doesn't know_.

"It's not really funny," She began, "It's really scary. What if you couldn't remember anyone?"

Marlene's face fell a little as she contemplated, "I'd be…really sad because I wouldn't remember Daddy or Tifa. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She said; her anger abated at the sight of the little girl's slouching figure, "Cheer up. Tifa told me that I should be able to regain my memory soon enough. Until then, I'll just have to make the best of it. Moping around isn't going to solve anything, would it?"

"You're right." Marlene brightened up, "I like you. Not many people who come into the bar pay any attention to me, even though they're always here."

The girl smiled, pleased that someone would like her within minutes of meeting each other.

"Ah, you're down. Looking good." She spun around to see Tifa walking in from outside with a broom in her hand, "I see you've met Marlene."

"Yeah." She smiled, Marlene coming from behind the counter to take the broom to the back.

"Thank you, Marlene." Tifa called to the retreating figure, looking back at the eighteen-year-old, before pulling out a chair and beckoning for her to do the same,

"Okay, at the moment, I think it's best that you stay here; you don't know where you're from and no one seems to be in a panic over someone missing. Barret's looking around right now trying to find some information."

"Thank you," She said, unsure of what else to say

"Well, I need to get back to work. We've got a group coming over later tonight."

"Okay." She smiled, before becoming lost in thought. Tracing a finger of the wood grain of the table, she unconsciously took a glance at the doorway every two to five minutes, apprehensive of what Barret would find out about her.

* * *

**Chapter One Fin! Will Barret find out anything about this mysterious girl? Review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Final Fantasy VII. Stop asking!**

**I would like to thank Sakina the Fallen Angel for reviewing my first two chapters. Thank you, girl! As to your last review, heaven forbid that I do a Mary Sue. I also thank summonershion3 for her review as well. You both rock!**

**As it says on my profile, people, PLEASE tell me if I'm straying that way. I sure as heck don't want to do that.**

* * *

She was almost asleep when she heard the door swing open. Jerking her head towards the door, she saw Barret walking in, rubbing the back of his head when he made eye-contact with her. She got up from her seat and walked quickly over to where he stood, 

"Did you find out anything?" She asked, hoping that he had, despite what his body language was.

"Well, kid. I…uh…didn't. Sorry kid." Barret looked at her, expecting her to collapse at the thought. He was only half-right; the spark of hope in her eyes was the only thing that collapsed.

"Oh…I see." She gave a sad smile, looking at her hand slide over the back of the chair before looking at him, "Still, thank you for trying."

"Barret?" Tifa had emerged from the backroom, carrying a crate that she promptly set on the counter, "So what did you find out?"

"Nuthin'!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, "I asked everyone I knew, and then some who didn't run away from deh sight o' me. This girl seems to o' just come from nowhere."

"Did you ask in any of the other Sectors?" Tifa raised an eyebrow.

_Sectors? There was more that one place in Midgar that had people living there?_

"Not exactly." Barret said, "I did get to talk to some who were visiting, though."

"So…I might still be able to find out who I am?" She could feel her spirits begin to lift again.

"Might be." Tifa smiled and Barret nodded, "Until then, you're welcomed to stay here for as long as you like."

"Thank you. Umm...until then…could I…uh…help out here?" She asked, "Marlene told me you're a little short-handed and, well, I was wondering if I could work to earn my keep here. I'd feel guilty if I just sat around all day while you all were hard at work."

"Sure!" Tifa said, "I could use some more people around here. Barret always seems to be skipping out."

"Now wait just a minute…" He began

"I'm just teasing, Barret. I know your other 'job' keeps you busy." Tifa smirked

"Other job?" The girl looked at Barret, "What do you do?"

A little awkward silence ensued before Barret hastily said, "Well, I uh, protect people and, uh…"

"Like a soldier?" Seeing both flinching at the word, she wondered what was wrong with it.

"No, not a SOLDIER." Barret said, thinking she was regaining some memory and was referring to those of whom he and the others fought against. He looked at her suspiciously; was she someone's daughter that lived above? Someone he fought against?

"So…" She racked her brain, "Oh, like the police?"

His suspicion abated slightly, "Uh, yeah. Sure, like the police."

"That's cool." She smiled, looking at Tifa, "So where do I start?"

"Well, for starters," Tifa took her by the arm and led her behind the counter, "I'll teach you some basic drinks. After awhile, if you stay long enough, I'll teach some more of the specialty drinks." She winked, "Can't have my famous drinks finding themselves in other bars now can I?"

"I guess." The girl's right eyebrow cocked upward; were they really that good?

"Alright!" Tifa smacked her hands together and rubbed them before bringing up a few bottles that contain a variety of liquor, some holding water.

An hour later, with Tifa watching and Barret with an amused expression, she worked diligently on the drink Tifa, as a "customer", had ordered. She pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear, added a little more from the finishing bottle, and handed it to Tifa. As Tifa took a sip, she sucked in her breath while she clenched and unclenched her hands. Putting the glass down, Tifa looked at the amber liquid and then at her. The look said it all.

"I need to practice some more don't I?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong. You've definitely improved from the watery drinks, but it's teetering on the marginal line."

She sighed exasperatedly and dumped the drink down the sink. It was frustrating not being able to remember all the drinks and their ingredients.

"I switched something around or forgot it, huh?"

"Actually, you didn't put enough of something in."

"Dangit." She muttered as she washed the glasses she had used out, "Well, at least I'm getting the ingredients right, now."

"Exactly."

"I can't believe you made a drink that nearly sent Tifa here backwards." Barret laughed while Tifa sent him a death-glare.

"Oh hush, Barret. How was I supposed to know that _that_ particular liquor was so strong? For all I know, I've never drank before." She proceeded to dry the glasses and put them up, "Well, at least I'm good for clean-up right now, so I'm not completely useless."

"I'll still teach you after the bar's closed, maybe around this time?" Tifa

"Sure. Tifa, can you write down the ingredients so I can study them?"

"No problem. I'll get them to you tomorrow…" Tifa looked at her hard and she waited for Tifa to respond, "I wanted to say your name, but then I remembered that you don't remember yours."

"Yeah, I know." She said maybe a bit too short.

"Easy, girlie. Don't take it out on Tifa now." Barret squeezed her shoulder lightly to tell her to calm down.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." The disaster with the alcohol, not to mention the fumes some of them produced, had made her a little more irritable that she would have liked. She leaned on the counter, "Sorry, Tifa. Yeah, I know, but what about it?"

"Well, we can't go around calling you "girl", or "girlie" as Barret would like to say, you need a name we can call you until we find out something about you." Tifa leaned lazily against the counter with her head propped up by her left arm.

"How about…"

* * *

**Dun Dun DUN! I'm so evil…Mwa ha ha! I want reviews! I want names! Tell me what name you think she should have and why she should. Why am I asking you this to do this? It's not because I'm lazy…wait…maybe it is partially, but I want input for this story from you guys, too! Review! Please? I want more reviews! I want to know who likes my stories and what I can do to improve them!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Yes, yes, I know it's been forever since I posted. Actually, about two months, but I've got valid excuses!**

**1) I've been extremely busy with schoolwork and the holidays**

**2) I've been a lazy bum and/or had writer's block after I typed out one or two sentences**

**Thank you for the last chapter reviews _Sakina the Fallen Angel_ and _KivaEmber_! I really wish that I had gotten more name suggestions, but what'cha gonna do? So I made do with the ones I got.**

**Alright, onward with the next chapter! Our unknown girl finally gets a name and things start to get suspicious.**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own any Final Fantasy VII characters. I do, however, own my own characters. So take them and you suffer my wrath!_**

* * *

"…Alias?" Tifa finished.

"Alias?" Barrett looked at Tifa, with a confused look on his face before it dawned on him, "Yeah, that would fit her nicely."

"It would?" Alias looked at them questionably.

"Well, think about it." Tifa explained, "You don't know your real name, and we have to call you by another name until we find out your real one. So, I thought of Alias. We can even call you Ali or Lia for short."

"That sounds cool." Alias said, happy now that she had a name she could refer to.

"Yeah, and to avoid any suspicion, you can be…a distant cousin of mine. Alias Lockheart. How about that?"

"You really don't mind sharing your last name with me?" Alias gave into a broad grin that had been tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Welcome to the family, 'Lia." Tifa smiled, grabbing Alias into a headlock and rubbed her head with her fist lightly.

"Ack!" Alias laughed, twisting and struggling to get out of the headlock. It didn't help that Barret was leaning on the counter, laughing so hard that tears were leaking out of his eyes, "Darn you, Barret! Help me out here!"

"No way, girlie. Yeh got yerself into that situation."

"No fair! It's a conspiracy, I tell you!" She yelled, trying in vain to loosen the hold. She was only able to after three voices entered into their little play-fight.

"What's a conspiracy?"

"Hey, Tifa. Why do you have that girl in a headlock?"

"Just when you think you've seen everything, they go and pull this."

"Biggs, Wedge, Jessie! 'Bout time ya'll showed up." Barret said, breaking the silence that had started after the three had entered the building with inquiries. Tifa had loosened enough for Alias to have gotten out of the headlock, but she stood there in a half-sitting position with her arms latched around Tifa's.

"Sorry, Boss. However, you didn't seem to be very…impatient with us being late." Said the man named Biggs.

"He probably didn't even realize that we were late." Smiled Jessie

"Yeh all just shut it! We have some pretty important stuff to discuss tonight and we need all the time we can get!" Barret raised his voice above the laughter.

"Before we do anything, can we get some of Tifa's food and drink? I didn't eat before we left and I'm hungry." Wedge intervened before Biggs could say something.

"Ah! Sure, Wedge." Tifa said, Alias finally letting go when the attention rounded on them. She followed Tifa behind the counter and gave her the bottles when she needed them as Tifa made the drinks.

"So, you didn't answer our questions; the most important, who's the girl?" Jessie had come by the counter and leaned across it to get a better look at Alias who, in turn, stared back at her with the same questionable look. Her eyes shifted between the three when Biggs and Wedge came over to see her as well.

"Is she on display or something?" Tifa said, putting a sisterly arm around her shoulders.

"Well, we just want to know who she is." Biggs said.

"I'm Tifa's cousin." Alias said, a little dry in the mouth with her heart pounding because she didn't know if she could pull off this cousin scheme, "I'm Alias Lockhart, but you can call me Lia or Ali if you like."

"Do you have a dual identity or something?" Jessie said, peering at her.

"Why do you ask that?" Alias asked, a cold chill going down her spine. She felt Tifa's hand close tighter around her shoulder and saw Barret hold his breath.

"Cause that's what Alias stands for." Jessie explained

"Come off it, Jess. Her parents probably were thinking of her as someone with a dual personality. You know; calm and collected one moment, then a crazy firecracker going off the next." Biggs said

"Heh, I can't fool you, can I, Biggs?" Alias gave a nervous smile, but was extremely relieved. She could tell Tifa and Barret felt the same. They soon were sitting around the table, drinking and eating the food that Tifa had made. Alias could tell why Wedge had wanted to have some of it before they did…whatever. Everything was fantastic and it took a lot of willpower to not eat anymore, even after her stomach told her that it was full.

"So, Barret." Biggs said, after everyone had eaten their fill, "Are we gonna go now and—"

"One moment, Biggs." Barret broke in, which cause everyone to look at him strangely, "I…need someone to go get…"

"Some more water?" Tifa helped. She was catching on what Barret was trying to avoid.

"Can't we just go down—" Jess asked; Wedge and herself weren't getting it quite yet along with Biggs.

"No! I would like to get it before." Barret jumped in again.

"Barret? What's wrong?" Alias asked, suspicion nagging her towards her newfound friend.

"Alias? Why don't you go get some?" Tifa asked.

"Okay." She said slowly, getting up and going to the back.

While she was away, Tifa whispered to Barret, "What's up? Why Alias?"

"I don't know yet, okay?"

"Know what?" Biggs whispered.

"I don't know if we can trust her with you-know-what yet."

"Oh!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Well, she's your cousin, right Tifa? Shouldn't you know whether or not she can be trusted?" Wedge said.

"Distant cousin." Tifa explained, "She only just arrived last night and I've not known about her until…the last few months."

"Yeah. Until then, we don't want her to know. Our activities can affect anyone who has any contact with us. The less she knows right now, the better." Barret said, ending the conversation as Alias walked back in, holding the last few bottles.

"There's no more. We need to go get some more."

"Oh, why don't we go down to the store and order for some more?" Tifa said, getting up from the table and walking with Alias out of the door, looking back with a reassuring nod before the door swung closed behind them.

Once outside, Tifa and Alias walked in silence. Tifa, however, felt a change come over Alias and took a glance at her. She had a look of intense concentration on her face, like a child did when they were wondering what they had done wrong.

"Alias?"

"Huh?" Tifa's voice penetrated her thoughts, snapping her back into reality, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Tifa looked at her with concern.

She was quiet for a few seconds before giving smile, "I'm fine, Tifa. There's nothing to worry about."

"You seem really serious, though."

"Just thinking."

"Your past? About what you told the others?"

"….Yeah." Alias nodded.

"Are you sure that's all?" Tifa had such a sisterly look that Alias couldn't help, but feel grateful for the concern instead of annoyed that one usually feels when they wanted the questions to stop five minutes ago.

"I'm sure, Tifa. Really!" She said, when the look didn't go away, "I just got too engrossed in my own thoughts. Sorry if I worried you."

"Okay." Tifa said, still uneasy from the expression she had seen, but wanting to drop it as they entered the store. After ordering the water to be shipped tomorrow, they returned to the bar to find the others missing.

"Where'd they go?" Alias asked, looking around as if they were hiding.

"They probably finished whatever they wanted to say." Tifa replied, going behind the counter, "Why don't you go upstairs and check on Marlene? She's probably already gone to bed, but I just want to be sure."

"Sure thing." Alias said, a thought nagging at her persistently, but she pushed it away.

She peeked in on Marlene and found the little girl facing away from the door, her breathing telling her that she was asleep. Walking in, she pulled up the covers that Marlene had kicked away and gave her a pat on the head before exiting. Going to Tifa's room, she started to undress for bed when she heard a weird sound. It was mechanical, but that wasn't the weird part. What was weird was the fact that she felt the machine working as if they were right underneath her feet. It went on for a few minutes, Alias rooted to the spot where she stood, before she heard voices. In fact, the voices of Barret, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, the latter three saying there goodbyes before they left the building. Alias finished dressing and walked downstairs.

"Where were you?" She asked Barret, who was taking a drink from Tifa with a serious expression on his face.

"Oh, went out with them for a minute. Sorry, kid." Barret gave a smile before downing the drink.

"Why didn't you wait for us to come back?" Alias persisted

"Because we didn't know how long it would take for yeh guys to come back." Barret said, a note of warning on his voice that caused Alias to grow quiet.

"I just wanted to know." Alias said, a tinge of anger on her voice for the unprovoked attack.

"Curiosity isn't always a good thing." Barret snapped back.

"Fine! Keep your damn secret!" Alias exploded and stomped up the stairs, slamming the door behind her. She flung herself onto the bed, an angry roar in her ears. What was he so upset about? Geez, how could someone who had saved her life be such a…a…jerk? The roar subsiding, she could hear Tifa's voice and Barret's as they had a conversation, probably over the outburst Alias had done. She heard Tifa coming up the stairs and she brought up the bed sheets and had her back facing the door. The door opened slowly, light flooding in, as Tifa's shadow loomed on the wall Alias was facing. She walked over to where Alias was trying her hardest to act asleep and seemed to hesitate before going to her bed.

Alias didn't sleep very well that night, her thoughts about what Barret and the others had done to make Barret snap at her and her own outburst

Next day

"Alias? I'm going out for the supplies we ordered. Can you keep an eye on the place?" Tifa asked. Alias was behind the counter washing and putting away the last of the glasses before she looked up.

"Yeah. No problem. No one's in here anyway." Alias said, gesturing to the empty seats.

"You know Barret didn't mean it, he just isn't very good with 'interrogations' as he calls them."

"S'alright. It's not on my mind at all." Alias said truthfully; she had done enough of that last night.

"Okay. I'll be back in half an hour." Tifa called as she left the building. Marlene came down just then and smiled at Alias who smiled back, coming from behind the counter with a broom to sweep the floor.

"Tifa and Daddy gone?" She asked, Alias nodding an affirmative response.

"Wanna help me clean up a bit?" Alias asked Marlene who went to go get a rag to wipe the tables.

Alias was starting to sweep when the bell rang, signaling a customer. Lifting her eyes, the sight of the two men, for some reason, sent a cold chill down her spine.

* * *

**Why did Alias get a feeling of sudden dread from these two men? Who are they? What do they plan to do? Why are they there? Why am I asking you these questions? You don't know, only I do. Ku ku ku ku!**

**Reviews are much appreciated. ****Encouragement is loved. Suggestions are fabulous. Good criticism is cool. Flames are frowned upon (aka don't do them, duh!).**


End file.
